The Adventures of Owl Thiessen in Degrassiland
by Hecraftedmybones
Summary: Owl Thiessen is a new student at Degrassi Community School. When she runs into a group of misfits, how will she make herself fit in? Were her chances at being accepted ruined from the start?
1. Chapter 1

_I walked up the front steps of Degrassi Communtiy School and groaned. I should've known this place was bad news, I had to wear this awful uniform and now I had to go through metal detectors. I could see my reflection in the windows on the doors, navy and tan just weren't my colors. I ran my hand through my long black hair and flipped it over one shoulder, then adjusted the strap of my shoulder bag. The line of people in front of me dwindled down and I let the school security look through my bag and wave their metal detector gadget over my arms and torso, then walked into the school for the first time. I was used to being the new girl but I usually had my ways of telling who was the right crowd to get into. Everyone here was wearing a uniform. I walked to the front office with my head hung, my black hair acting like a curtain between me and the rest of the students rushing on their way to class. I didn't dodge very well and ended up getting knocked around quite a bit. I slipped through the main office door and stood at the counter, waiting for the lady I assumed was the secretary to finish her phone call. I tapped my nails on the counter as I waited. She glanced at me and smiled, then held up a finger. "One moment dear." I just nodded my head. She continued to chatter for a few more minutes then hung up the phone and got up from her desk. "What can I help you with?" She asked, picking up a large stack of file folders and walking into another part of the office, I watched her walk away for a few seconds then shrugged and followed her into the next room. "Uh, I'm a new student. My name is Owl Thiessen." I winced when I said my name, my mother was on some major drugs when she named me, I usually had people call me by my last name, anything was better then Owl. "Oh yes, Principal Simpson told me there might be a new student coming in today." She dropped the stack of folders into a file cabinet and turned to look at me, narrowing her eyes a little like she was concentrating real hard to remember my face. She turned back the cabinet and ruffled through the folders, then held one up in the air over her head. "Here we are, Ms. Owl Thiessen." She brought the folder to eye view and flipped it open with a flick of her wrist. "Transfer from Southern California? You're a long way from Hollywood Ms. Thiessen." She looked at me from over her shoulder and raised her brows. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "My dad got a new job." I muttered, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. Most people assumed I was some kind of stuck up spoiled brat because I used to live in Hollywood. It's not as great as everyone thinks it is, a lot of homeless people, a lot of drunk people, and a lot of famous people who don't give a ****. The secretary smiled slightly and took my file back to the front desk, I rushed after her. "You'll need a photo ID.." She spoke out loud, even though she wasn't really speaking to me but more to herself. She shuffled some of the papers in the folder around and then slid one across the desk towards me, "This is your schedule of class," she reached under the counter and handed me a small stack of papers. "This has a school map, the school rules, emergency card, and a print out of hall passes, you only get five per month so use then wisely." I nodded and put my list of classes on top of the pile, reading over the subjects and then name of the teachers, I looked at the map and made a mental note of the best route to use to get to each class. I was so used to new places that I could pretty much get around without anyone's help. "Thanks." When I looked up at the lady she had a camera in hand, a bright flash nearly blinded me, but I had managed a quick side smile. She printed out a tiny copy of the picture she just took and stuck it to thick index card with the school logo and a barcode on it. She ordered me to write my full name and my homeroom number on the card, which I did, and then slipped it into a clear plastic card holder at the end of a Degrassi lanyard. She tossed it at me and I caught it in one hand and quickly put it over my head, it settled on my chest awkwardly. "Welcome to Degrassi Ms. Theissen." She smiled and turned away, leaving me alone. I sighed and walked out of the office and into the crowded hallway, the first bell must have rung without my realizing because everyone was in a hurry to get somewhere. I let stampede carry in the general direction of my first class. Ms. Dawes, English. I breakaway from the group with a few other students and slip through the doorway to my first class at a new school. A lot of students are already in their seats and I don't know whether they assigned or not, I see an older woman at the back of the class, who I assume is Ms. Dawes, and walk through the rows of desks to get to her. I clear my throat and she turns around to look at me. "Uh, I'm a new student. My name is Owl, Owl Thiessen." I hand her my schedule which she glances at and nods. "Yes, nice to meet you. Welcome to English." she waves her hand through the air motioning to the rest of the room. "Take a seat, anywhere is fine." I nod once and slip into a seat in the middle of the room. To far in the front you're labeled a teachers pet. To far in the back, you're a trouble maker. I unpack my spiral notebook and open to the first clean page, then uncap my pen with my teeth and start to doodle, I can hear other people walk into the room and greet each other but when I'm drawing I tend to tune people out. It's a gift. That's probably why I didn't hear him, or notice that he was trying to get my attention until he put his hand right over my paper. I blinked and looked down at his hand, which was pretty beautiful. His fingers were long and thin, and a nice shade of peach. His nails were short and were covered with black permanent marker, he was wearing a silver ring on his ring finger. I sighed softly and tore my eyes away from his bruised knuckles and turned my face upwards. "Sorry, what?" I asked, trying to appear blasé. His face was pretty much like his hands, peach framed by black hair. He was wearing black eyeliner which accented his dark green eyes. His full lips press into a hard line. "You're sitting in my seat." His gaze shifts from me to the girl sitting in the desk in front of mine, she's turned in her seat watching all of this unfold. She has red short hair, which is curly, it frames her childlike face perfectly. I can tell she's younger then me, maybe by a year or two. "I was told we don't have assigned seats. Ms. Dawes said I could sit wherever my little heart desires. I chose here, you'll have to find a new seat." I look from the boy to the girl a couple of times and then return to my doodle. The boy just hovers there with his arms crossed over his chest, his head blocking the light. I stop drawing again and look up at him. "I think you should go sit down, class is about to start." I smile sweetly at him, and even throw in a flirtatious wink, the guy may be annoying but that doesn't make him any less attractive. He rolls his eyes and takes the seat behind me, throwing his bag down on the desk a little bit to hard. What's his problem? It's just a desk. The girl in front of me hasn't turned around since this whole thing started, she looks past me at the boy and frowns. I clear my throat and her eyes land on my face for a split second, she blushes then turns her back on me. _

_The first half of my classes go by in a blur and before I know it it's lunchtime and I'm standing in line for my first meal at Degrassi. Most of the other students are seated with their friends at various tables, but without their street clothes it's hard to determine which clique is which. I grab my tray and walk through the line of crowded tables, finding one that's empty and making myself comfortable. I people watch for a few minutes, trying to find a group of people who might be new friend material and that's when I see the girl from my English class, and the boy is with her. I grab the apple off my tray and take a bite following them with my eyes, they sit down at a table where a few other people were waiting for them. They greet each other, the boy does some weird handshake with another. The girl gives another girl a hug. All this "girl" and "boy" business is giving me a real headache, I'd really like names to put to the faces so I get up, grab my tray and walk over to the table. Everyone falls silent when they notice that I'm approaching but I just ignore that and take a seat next to an unfamiliar face. "Hey." I mutter, taking another bite from my apple. The people at the table exchange glances then shrug. The red head smiles and offers me her hand. "Hello, I'm Clare." I shake her hand lightly and nod. "Nice to meet you." She elbows the guy from English in the ribs and clears her throat daintily. He sighs loudly and offers his hand to me too, "Eli." I take his hand in mine and shake it firmly, smashing his fingers together, he shakes back just a hard and I can feel my bones crack. I wince and pull my hand away, he lips curl into a sinister smirk. "My name is Owl." I mumble. The boy next to me, laughs slightly. "That's an interesting name." I turn to him and shrug. Eli and Clare smile at each other and raise their brows, I can't help but think there's some nonverbal communication going on. They boy next to me smiles and pats me on the back. "My name is Adam." I nod and return his smile, biting on my bottom lip. The rest of the time Adam, Clare, and Eli talk about English, comic books, movies, authors and weekend plans. It doesn't take me long to figure out that Clare and Eli are an item, and poor Adam is the third wheel. By the time the bell rings for the next class, Adam looks like he might die of boredom. I take my tray to the trash and turn to find Adam waiting for me. "Can I walk you to class Owl?" He asks shyly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Sure." I say with a shrug, slinging my bag over my shoulder. We walk out of the cafeteria and into the sea of bodies, Adam stays close to my side. I turn to glance at him every few seconds, he's staring straight ahead, looking very nervous. "So Owl, how are you liking Degrassi so far?" I laugh to myself, how cliché is it to ask a new student about her first day. "It's been really good actually, a lot different from California." I shrug and dodge someone's shoulder, making me press closer to Adam. He doesn't seem to mind. When we arrive at the door to my next class, Adam pats me on the back again. "It was great meeting you Owl, will I see you tomorrow? Or, Eli and Clare and I were going to hang out at The Dot after school. You should come along." I raise my brow, I'm not sure how I feel about this group of misfits, but hanging out with them would be better then going home to an empty new house. "Sure Adam, just one thing…what's The Dot?" Adam smirks "Meet me out front after school." Then he walks away. I try my best to focus on the rest of my classes but I feel like everything the teachers are teaching is repetitive and redundant. I find myself doodling most of the time and by the final bells I have ten pages filled with stick figure people and a really professional looking sketch of Adam. It's like his face is burned into my mind. I look my drawing over as I walk through the halls towards the front steps, it's then that I notice how beautiful Adam is, which isn't a way most guys liked to be described. I slip my notebook into my bag, walking out of the school and looking around for the misfits. I see them sitting by the school sign, and I walk quickly over to them. Clare is bending over to pull up her navy knee high socks, Eli is shedding his Degrassi cardigan and tugging on a black zip up sweatshirt, while Adam searches through his backpack for something. I clear my throat and they all look up to acknowledge my presence, each one giving me some form of a greeting. Clare waves and smiles, Eli grunts, and Adam nods his head towards me, his thin pale lips pulled into a tight smirk. "How was your first day?" Clare asked, brushing some of her red curly hair from her pale face, I can see a glint of silver from the top of her ear and make note of the cartilage piercing, something that just doesn't seem like her style. "It was good actually." I smile and slid my bag off my shoulder, resting it on the floor. "How about you?" I add, trying to keep the conversation going. "Oh, it's the same thing everyday." She shrugs and gets up, picking her bag from the ground and hanging it on her shoulder. "So I'll see you guys tomorrow?" She asks. Eli and Adam exchange a glance, then both raise their brows. "I thought we were hanging out at The Dot?" Eli frowns and Clare put her hand gently on her shoulder. "I have a ton of homework." She shrugs then turns to me and Adam. "But you guys have fun okay." She bends down and gives Eli a quick peck on the cheek then walks down the steps towards a car that must have been waiting for her. I watch her get in, give a small wave, and then the car drives away. Adam and Eli watch the car drive away for a few seconds longer then I do, then both turn to look at me. I'm not sure what to say, they both are just staring at me silently. "So I'm guessing you don't hang out with other girls?" I bite my lip and shrug, shuffling my feet against the sidewalk. "I could just go home." I pick up my bag and turn to go but then I feel a hand on my shoulder, I peek at it from the corner of my eye hoping to see the beautiful hand I'd seen at the beginning of the day but this hand is much paler and more feminine, I almost expect to turn and see Clare, but it's Adam. "I promised you we'd go to The Dot, and I'll do it whether Clare comes or not." He smiles and looks over his shoulder at Eli, "You coming?" Eli nods and stands up, grabbing his folder. "Let's take Morty." Eli suggests, leading us into the school parking lot. "I'm guessing Morty is a car?" I whisper to Adam, raising my eyebrows. Adam smirks, "Morty is so much more then a car. He's a hearse." And sure enough, Eli is unlocking the drivers side door of a big black hearse. The silver accents glistening in the sun, and the skull in the back window seems to be smiling at me. "Wow, this-this is awesome." I jog over to the hearse and put my hand on the hood, looking through the windshield at Eli, I give him a thumbs up, which he returns with a smirk. Adam opens the passenger door and waves me inside. "Oh no, I can sit in the back." Adam shakes his head. "It's alright." So I slid into the seat next to Eli, putting my bag down by my legs. Adam closes the door behind me and then gets into the back. He has to hold onto the back of our seats to keep from falling over while Eli drives, we don't talk much, mostly because we wouldn't be able to hear each other over the alexisonfire CD Eli is playing. I mouth the words to my reflection in the window, I meet Eli's eyes a couple of times. "Keep your eyes on the road buddy, I prefer to ride in hearses alive." He laughs, shakes his head and stares straight ahead at the road. When we get to our destination it's easy to see why The Dot is the hang out spot. It's pretty amazing. Little round tables, cheap drinks and snacks. This place was a highschooler's paradise. I order a milkshake and a side of fries, then go over to the table Eli and Adam are sitting at. _"_This place rocks." I say with a smile, I notice that they've left a chair empty between them but I'm not sure if it's there to give each other space or for me to sit in, I decide to sit on Adam's other side just to save myself some embarrassment. Adam smiles "I knew you'd love it." I watch as Eli and Adam exchange a look, and I recognize the feeling that I'm missing some more nonverbal communication, looks like this group of misfits was more tight nit then I'd realized. _


	2. Chapter 2

To say that things were awkward would be a real understatement, where Adam was friendly and talkative, Eli was distant and quiet. He was a dark presence that made getting comfortable nearly impossible. Adam and I were having a lively conversation about one of his favorite movies when Eli abruptly interrupted us. "Do you think you guys could find another way home?" He asked, gathering up his backpack and the black hoodie he'd shed a few conversational subjects back. Adam frowned slightly but nodded. "I guess I can walk." I nodded too, adding a little shrug. "Great." Eli turned on his heel and walked out the door, it slammed behind him.

"What the heck was that about?" I turned to Adam demanding an explanation. "Did I do something wrong?" I picked up a french fry and chewed on it thoughtfully, trying to remember if I'd done anything offensive, or was it just my existence that bothered Eli? Adam sighed "Eli is a little…sensitive." I raised my brows and waited for him to continue. "He can be totally fine one minute, and flipping out the next. He used to have a problem with hoarding, his last girlfriend was hit by a car and died, and recently Clare has been bonding with one of his enemies. _Sensitive_." All of this information didn't surprise me, with one look at Eli's tough exterior you'd know that he'd been through a lot. "I guess he doesn't take very well to new comers either then.." I added, trying to act like that fact didn't bother me as much as it really did. Adam shrugged "No one's ever tried to hang out with us before but I can kind of guess what he might be thinking." I tossed my fry back on my plate and pushed it away from me. "And what's that?" I looked into Adam's eyes. "What kind of bad things will happen in my life because of **her**?" I winced slightly at the way he accented the word _her_, how sad to be that paranoid about letting new people into your life. "I'll take a new subject for 200, Alex." I turned my head and looked at the people sitting at the counter so Adam wouldn't see how upset his words had made me. "Alex? My name is _Adam_." I was about to explain the reference to him, but when I turned to look him in the eye he was smirking.

Half and hour later Adam and I said our goodbyes and exchanged cell phone numbers, then began walking off in opposite directions towards our homes. The sun was already setting and soon the streetlights would be going on. I was secretly glad that Adam lived on the other side of town, it gave me chance to ponder the new information I'd learned about Eli. Adam had summed up all of Eli's drama into one sentence but now that I had a chance to unpack everything I really was starting to understand how hard he's life had been this far. And he was only 17. Eli had hoarding problems, and even though my only knowledge of the subject was from a documentary I'd seen on TV, I knew it was serious. Then there was the fact that Eli ex-girlfriend was killed, any sane person would put up walls after something like that. It probably didn't help that Clare was becoming chummy with someone that Adam claimed was Eli's enemy. The poor guy had a lot on his plate, but it didn't seem fair that I was on the receiving end of his dark mood. All I wanted to do was make friends, Adam seemed all to eager to invite me into their little club, with Clare showing no preference either way, if Eli didn't accept me there was no way I'd feel comfortable hanging out with them anymore and that would mean being alone for the rest of the school year, _if_ I stayed that long. Something had to be done, maybe if I had a little heart to heart with Eli, he'd realize I wasn't that bad. He'd be my _pet project_ if you will. I pulled my cell from the front pocket of my messenger bag. Adam was the first name in my contacts list since the names were in alphabetical order. I shot him a text asking for Eli's number and sighed. Walking in silence and pondering what to say when I actually had Eli on the phone, it was only a few minutes later that Adam's reply made my phone vibrate in the back pocket of my tan pants.

The best I can do is his instant messenger = eli-gold49

Of course I knew he was lying, they had obviously been friends long enough to exchange cell phone numbers especially since he'd eagerly asked for mine after knowing me a day. But I would try his IM and decide where to go from there. Maybe I could find him on Facebook and send him a message or something. I considered the rest of my options on the rest of my walk, barely noticing when the streetlights came on. I walked up the front porch of my new house and turned the doorknob, swinging open the front door to reveal an empty living room. "I'm home!" I called out to no one in particular, though I was sure both of my parents were home. I walked through the living room towards the stairs that led to the second level of the house where my room was, it was weird to go up instead of down, at my old house my room had been in the basement. I trudged up the stairs and went through the first door on the landing and flipped on the light switch. I was surprised to see that my dad had made good on his promise and set up my computer. I guess it was meant to be, cause I may not have been able to do it myself. I pressed the power button and listened as it buzzed to life, the glow of the screen brightening my room. While the computer started up, I kicked off my shoes and changed out of my uniform, into a pair of old navy sweats and an oversized black T-shirt. I even took the time to pull my long black hair into a ponytail, even though my impatience kept my eyes flickering from the mirror to the monitor every few seconds.

I made myself comfortable in the computer seat before typing in my password, opening a new conversation on my instant messenger and typing in Eli's screen name.

thieowl-26: Eli?

I waited for him to reply, I didn't even know whether he was online or not since he wasn't on my buddy list. My eyes were locked on the space under the message I'd just written, silently praying that he would respond. I cursed Degrassi for making student screen names so obvious, I didn't even have his curiosity on my side. "Owl, it's time for dinner honey." My mom called from downstairs. "Oh and thanks for greeting me when you got home. You're the best daughter ever." I could hear the sarcasm in her voice and smiled, my mom was hilarious but now wasn't a good time. "Can I have my dinner later? Or maybe in my room? I'm doing something on the computer right now." I tried to keep the whine out of my voice. "How about no, you'll getting your little butt down here right about now. We're having dinner as a family." I groaned loudly, loud enough for her to hear downstairs and reluctantly got up from the computer chair and shuffled out of my room, giving one last tortured glance at the computer screen.

"You must be really hungry Owl." My dad commented, eyeing me skeptically. "Oh yeah." I answered with my mouth full of spaghetti, nodding enthusiastically. "Then I guess you'd like seconds, huh?" My mom gave me a knowing look, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Oh, no thank you." I said a little _to _quickly. Mom my smirked and twisted her fork around in her noodles, before taking a intentional bite. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand to make sure I had no sauce on my face. "That was delicious. Thanks Mom." I gave her an innocent smile and pushed my chair away from the table. "Wait." My dad put his hand over mine, which had been resting on the table in front of me. "I want to hear _all_ about your first day at school." My parents exchanged a look, giving each other a little smile and then returned their gaze to me. "It was great. I like all my classes, I made some new friends. I _love_ Degrassi." The sentence rushed out of my mouth. My mom nodded slightly and patted my dad's arm. "Owl wants to go upstairs and use her computer. Hence the brush off of your question." My dad raised his brows and pressed his lips into a hard line. "When is she _not _on the computer?" I frowned and looked down at my hands. "Please Dad. I just wanted to talk to one of my new friends. I have a homework question." My dad's look softened and he nodded his head once. "I guess, but you seriously need to get a life outside the internet Baby Doll. It's a little embarrassing." He gave me a wink. "That's the point Dad." I got up from my chair and sprinted up the stairs to my room. I threw myself onto the computer seat and nearly fell over, but regained balance by clinging to the corner of my desk. I glanced at the screen and my heart jumped, another little message joined my own.

thieowl-26: Eli?

eli-gold49: Yeah?

It wasn't the most interesting IM I'd ever read, but I hadn't given him much to work worth. And since he'd answered my message, his name was added to my recent buddy list and I could see that he was still online. I took a deep breath and let my finger dance over the keys.

thieowl-26: it was really fun hanging out with you today

eli-gold49: yeah, I guess it was

thieowl-26: well, that sounds convincing

eli-gold49: did you need something?

Maybe this was a bad idea. I bit my lip and tried to regain my confidence, I was determined to be friends with Eli, and I knew to expect that he'd have his walls up. I just needed to convince him that I wouldn't be any trouble, that I just wanted to be apart of the group.

thieowl-26: did I offend you in some way?

eli-gold49: not yet

thieowl-26: adam told me you thought I might cause trouble

eli-gold49: he has a big mouth…

The conversation wasn't really going the way I'd envisioned it. I didn't know what to do if Eli wouldn't give a little. So I decided to be honest.

thieowl-26: I just want to be friends

eli-gold49: fine

His response came back quickly, but didn't sound very enthusiastic. I drummed my fingers on my desk as I pondered the hidden meaning behind his answer. _Fine_?

thieowl-26: fine what?

eli-gold49: fine, we're friends

I couldn't help but smile, I could see my reflection in the monitor. I was beaming. Even if he was only saying that to get me to stop talking to him, he'd said it and I was ready to take full advantage of it. My confidence was at an all time high.

thieowl-26: friends hang out…

eli-gold49: and?

thieowl-26: what are you doing tomorrow after school?

I leaned back in my computer seat and took a deep breath, shooting off a silent prayer that I didn't go to fast and wreck what little progress I had made. His response takes a lot longer then the others and I'm begin to think that he's decided to ignore me. I try to push away the feeling of rejection that's creeping into my chest, nearly crushing my ribs. Suddenly his words flash into the chat box.

eli-gold49: what did you have in mind?

My heart jumps, and I can't make my fingers type fast enough.

thieowl-26: how bout we just start off with a nice friendly walk?

eli-gold49: really, you want to go for a walk?

thieowl-26: A _friendly_ walk

eli-gold49: alright but only cause I have nothing better to do

thieowl-26: oh come on eli everyone know ur dying to spend time with me

eli-gold49: and I try so hard to hide my obsession with you…

thieowl-26: not hard enough, what would clare think?

eli-gold49: what would clare think indeed…

thieowl-26: see you tomorrow buddy

eli-gold49: I'll be counting the hours

I knew he was being sarcastic but I couldn't help but squeal loudly, which is probably why I didn't notice my mom walk into my room and sit on my bed. "That must be some homework." She gave me a smirk and crossed her legs. "Oh yeah, quadratic equations rock!" I pressed the button on my monitor and the screen went back, it wasn't like there was anything on the screen that would make my mom upset or anything I liked my privacy. "Oh, I bet." She rolled her eyes. "I love you Mom." I walked over to her and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "I love you too Owl." She patted my cheek, and looked into my eyes. "But if you don't get your homework done, you _will _go to bed with no dessert." She stuck her tongue out and then laughed, getting up and walking out my bedroom door.


End file.
